The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-09-28
A CLEVER WOMAN.
BY EVELYN THORPE.

NO, you nave no ambition, cried the
girl; "but have"
Her splendid eyes flashed upon the
young fellow, and in dull, underlined
way, he felt clumsy and loutish, and
altogether inadequate to the companion
ship of this radiant creature.
"Ambitionln he repeated. vaguely.
Hilary swung herself on the gate with
an impatience which perhaps accorded
little with the announcement she had
been making of high and brilliant social
aims for herself.
ayes, ambition Did you ever think
you would like TO be anything more or
better than you are now And what are
your just farm hand w
She flung the words out with mag
nitcent contempt.
ats what your father and brother was,
Hilary" returned Oliver, after little
space. He said it gravely, without accent
Of offense.
"That's no reason why everyone should
go on being the same thing to everlast-
ing" announced Hilary, not very clearly,
but with decision and passion.
Oliver felt himself defenseless before
this worldly wisdom. This had always
been their attitude. Her nimbeness of
wit left his slowncss and hcaviness at a
loss. There were things he would have
liked to say-things which he felt vague
ly, which haunted him with torturing
sense that his reasons were best, but that
he should never succeed in explaining
them so that Hilary would heed, or
even listen. lie had not so much as the
resource of sigh whereby a more NAL
leable organism relieves the tension of
worldless discomfort. He Stood in APP
pearance a bulky, stolid young rustic,
chewing without thought upon the long
straw he had between his teeth; and
the bright, slight, vivid girl by his side
continued to swing her little body back
and forth on the white gate from which
the paint was chipping and forgot his
existence.
1t was night fair and warm, and
redolent with sweet, wholesome odors
from the great red barn, stocked with
grain. There was glory of blue moon
light abroad and south wind rusted
the elms. 1t was night full Of poetry
full of the mysterious voices of nature.
The young fellow, through his heavy
corporeal envelope, thrilled with visions,
resolves, yearnings he could not define or
understand, of which he was scarce con
scious. The girl, her spirited beauty
gloritied by the rare light that shone
upon her face, her eyes looking widely
out into the sleeping fields, dreamed OF
city streets and the life of throngiug
crowds and the delights of delicate dress.
Finally, after silence neither had
measured for different reasons, Oliver
stirred slowly.
81 suppose | must be goin'," he said.
"Oh, must youl"
Hilary came back violently from hel
reverie and gave him an absent glance.
But Immediately, as he was turning away
without other words, she added:
"Come again when you cam and ac
companied the admonition with a smile
whose actual enchantment she could not
have helped had she tried.
She looked after his broad, tall figur,
going down the moonlit road.
''POor Oliverl He's a first-rate fellow,
she thought
And then she went back to the castle,
she was building, crystal clear and
iridescent with hundred lights, in tn,
silence of the sweet, serene midsummer
night.
The shops were opening, the factory
girls were trooping to their work, and
the great city was awaking with a myriad
tongues to its busy day, when young
man (who, somehow, had the look ot
middle age about him, too) stopped al
an address which he had in his pocket
1t might have been there some time, fol
the bit of paper on which it was writer
was worn and discolored at the folds.
A tall and imposing parsonage, with Z
costume of conspicuous stylishness ano
an unimpeachable coiffure, looked at
him and came forward a little
She seemed to be the only woman il
the large, deep store, down the length ot
which stretched broad white counters
| laden with feathers, hats, flowers, boXe
| of ribbon. Some young men, clerks
were lounging about in various attitudes
of languor, awaiting the beginning o.
the days labors.
'Lester, did you sayl' repeated tn,
imposing person with the smooth and ef
fective hair. "Miss Hilary Lesterl
couldn't tell you, really. She has not
been here in my time. We employ onll
few girls up stairs on trimmed sampl,
hats. ~
She had an air of having dismisse tn,
rural-looking newcomer. One or tive
of the younger clerks smiled Perhap